<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Copper, Gold, Silver, and Glitter by 061828</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26304280">Copper, Gold, Silver, and Glitter</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/061828/pseuds/061828'>061828</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alec Lightwood-centric, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Anxiety, Extended Metaphors, FYI, Glitter, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Magnus is beautiful in this, Metaphors, Smoking, Supportive Isabelle Lightwood, i think???, i'm being dead serious the glitter is impORTANT, this fic hardly makes sense without them, this got a little bit darker than expected, too many of them guys, uhhhhh what else</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:48:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,901</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26304280</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/061828/pseuds/061828</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Oh. Yeah. You know how you invited Magnus Bane to Jace and Clary's wedding as a joke?" Alec shrugged. "He actually showed up. We went out for lunch yesterday."</p>
<p>Silence. It was silent. The kind that Alec craved and usually could never find and wow, he should drop bombs like this more often because he really liked it.</p>
<p>Then Jace ruined it by nearly screaming, "I'm sorry, what!"</p>
<p>(In which there's a wedding, some celebrities may be nicer than they appear, and Alec is trying to keep himself from turning into smoke.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>294</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Malec Discord Mini Bang 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Copper, Gold, Silver, and Glitter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic was created for the Malec Discord Mini Bang 2020 hosted by the <a href="https://discord.gg/5nBgEp8">Malec Discord Server</a>. </p>
<p>An absolutely deafening round of applause to my beta, Ana. Without them, this fic would have been kind of an incoherent mess. Find them on tumblr at <a href="https://static-abyss.tumblr.com/">static-abyss</a> .</p>
<p>I hope you all enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec could practically hear Izzy’s mental sigh as he ran his hands through his hair again. At this point, he was sure he looked like he’d been electrocuted—he could </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>the rat’s nest sticking up—but he was well past the point of caring. This guest list written out on the computer screen demanded every bit of his attention, infuriating but important.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He scrolled through the names, noting each one carefully, making sure he didn’t leave anyone out or invite someone who didn’t necessarily need to be there. This was Jace and Clary’s wedding and he needed it to be perfect.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jace and Clary’s wedding. God.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jace was getting married. Jace was getting married to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Clary</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He should have expected this, should have expected this from the minute Jace introduced him to her. Jace had flings every other week. For him to have invited Alec out to dinner and introduced him to Clary formally she had to be special. And she was. Copper-bright hair and a copper-brave heart to match his blonde smile and gold-washed pride.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So, Alec had taken up as much responsibility as he could. Although, he really should be glad he wasn’t in charge of the entire thing. If the job of decorating had fallen to him, the entire reception hall would have ended up being swathed in different shades of black and grey, probably out of sheer frustration at having to pick any other color. It was a relief that Izzy was handling the more showy aspects of the wedding, while he handled the behind-the-scenes action.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Financials, order numbers, food, and the guest list, among others, were all things Alec had thrust upon his own shoulders. Despite having no idea </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Alec was determined to shoulder them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec scrolled to the bottom of the page, biting his lips and worrying over the same person once again. Should he invite Jonathan? His fingers slowly typed out the name before frantically pressing backspace. Jace and Clary had a less than optimal relationship with Clary’s estranged brother. The last time they’d met had culminated with a visit to the ER, four broken ribs, two sprained wrists, a fractured ankle, and several thousand cuts, bruises, and scrapes. Also a restraining order. But then again, family was family, right?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His fingers kept fidgeting, fluttering. He forced them to be still on the keys. They didn’t seem to want to listen.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Just then, Isabelle threw open the door to his room and strode over to his bed, throwing herself on the mattress with a muffled </span>
  <em>
    <span>umph.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec swiveled his chair around to face the bed at the opposite side of the room, putting his desk and laptop behind him. He raised two judgemental eyebrows at Izzy, knowing full well she couldn’t see him. It was the principle of the thing, really. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Luckily, sibling telepathy seemed to be working in their favor and Izzy raised her head from the pillow to return the expression with a tired face. Even through her makeup, beautifully vicious as always, he could see the bruise-colored bags under her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Everyone is stupid and this wedding is never going to work,” Izzy rolled over onto her back, gesturing dramatically with her hands. “A flower order should not be this difficult to place. At this point, I’m just going to find a new shop.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec hummed nonchalantly, trying to seem disinterested while simultaneously focusing all of his attention on her. He needed a break, and if the break presented itself in the form of flowers? Well, he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The manager is being a greedy dick.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh really? How?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec abandoned all pretense of not paying attention and instead moved across the room, electing to sit on the floor near the bed, to make himself eye level with Izzy. He needed a new rug, his current one burned his shins when he sat down.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m trying to buy 12 different flower bundles, right? Hydrangea, rose, and ruscus flowers, four bundles of each. So it makes sense if I pay the amount it costs for one flower bundle times twelve,” Isabelle propped herself up with one hand, using the other to smooth flyaway bits of her hair out of her face. “But instead, I’m being charged the same amount as a full flower package!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She paused for a moment at the look of confusion on Alec’s face. “A package is a whole lot more than 12 bundles!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At that, Alec’s brows furrowed. “But if you’re ordering 12 bundles, doesn’t that make it the same as a package?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Alec. The package comes with six different types of flowers, plus some shrubbery, and a catering system. I just want those three flowers.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” That gave Alec a pause. “Then why aren’t they letting you buy those bundles, if it’s not the same thing as the package?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izzy sighed and sat up fully, crossing her legs. “Because in the end, it’s still the same amount of flowers, even though they’re different types. Quantity over quality, apparently.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That sounds rough. Did you tell the guy on the phone that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I just argued with him about it on the phone for the past hour. I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>doing that again,” Izzy hopped off the bed, smoothly, gracefully, and slid down to the floor, leaning against Alec’s legs. Apparently the rug didn’t bother her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He drummed his fingers on the ground, scraping through the rug. “Well then, maybe just buy the package?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Isabelle smiled tiredly at him. “It’s not in the budget.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec sighed. “Damn.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know. Can’t get around that,” Izzy glared at the floor with despondent eyes before heaving herself up with a mighty stretch, flexing the muscles in her shoulders and arms. “But I can fix that later. How about you? How’s the guest list going?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec pushed Izzy off of him gently, unfolding his tangle of limbs and walking back over to his desk. He unplugged his laptop and brought it back to Izzy who shifted, waiting for Alec to sit down, before leaning into him again. He hid his wince as the rug scraped his legs again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you think I should invite Jonathan?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What? No,” Izzy’s reaction was swift and sure, decisive as a bolt of lightning. “You are not inviting that bastard to Clary and Jace’s wedding.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank god,” Alec slumped against the side of the bed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait,” Izzy narrowed her eyes, “You were actually thinking about it?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec shrugged. “Family is family, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At that, Isabelle quieted. He knew what she was thinking. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Screaming matches, throwing glass across the room, ignoring the shards digging into the soles of feet as harsh shrieks permeated the air.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t have to explain myself to you, Isabelle. She’s the love of my life! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Well then what the </span>
  </em>
  <span>fuck </span>
  <em>
    <span>was Mom?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The silence that followed the divorce was as wide as the moon. But Robert was still the man who raised them and despite the jagged edges of their remaining relationship, Alec was sure Isabelle would invite him to her wedding, should she ever have one.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Still, Jonathan and Clary were never close. I don’t think inviting him would be a good idea,” Izzy gave Alec a wry smile. “Best to just leave him off the guest list this time, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hermano</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Especially for a day as important as this one.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Beside her, Alec let out a breath. “Yeah, I wasn’t going to invite him in the first place. I just didn’t want to offend Clary.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Isabelle shot him a look. “Since when have you cared about offending Clary? If I remember correctly, the first time you met, you two immediately started an insult war </span>
  <em>
    <span>completely </span>
  </em>
  <span>unironically.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Still,”Alec shrugged. “It’s her wedding day.” And he wanted that copper-bright smile to match that gold-bright heart no matter what. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They both grew quiet for a minute before Alec shifted the computer onto his lap from the floor. “So we’ll leave him out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izzy laughed. “One less person to pay for. We’re stretched enough as it is.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Taking one person off the guest list isn’t going to dramatically reduce costs, Izzy. It’ll barely even do anything.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wish one of us was a millionaire,” Izzy said, ignoring him. She stretched out onto the ground and Alec bent over her, smiling a bit at her antics.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm-hmm,” Izzy tried her best to nod from her position. “That way Jace and Clary can get the wedding they deserve through our pocket change.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s true.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We should invite a millionaire to the wedding and tell them to pay for everything.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At that, Alec let out a rather loud snort. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m serious!” Izzy sat up. “We could pay for the food and when the millionaire asks why we’re making them do this, we tell them it’s because we gave them free food.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec raised an eyebrow in her direction. “Sounds like a plan. Which millionaire are we inviting again?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sarcastic though the question was, Izzy seemed to consider it. “I’d invite Maia Roberts.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Who? That super model that you like?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse you, she is amazing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, okay.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on,” Isabelle punched Alec’s arm lightly. “Who would you invite?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No one,” Alec batted Isabelle’s hands away. “I’m pretty sure they’re all conceited jerks anyway.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You do realize that’s what people say about lawyers right,” Isabelle said, sounding sly. “And, you know. Lawyer, paralegal. Same thing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up. I’m not a lawyer, I’m just employed by one.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Who else?” Izzy asked, ignoring Alec. “Oh! Raphael. Raphael Santiago.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec whipped his head up and glared at her over the laptop screen, a little in awe of her audacity. Though he wasn’t sure why. It wasn't like it was a surprise at this point. “The mob boss?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, the guy’s loaded. He’s also </span>
  <em>
    <span>hot as hell.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec scoffed. “He’s also </span>
  <em>
    <span>in prison</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And a </span>
  <em>
    <span>murderer.</span>
  </em>
  <span> You’re insane.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, you won’t tell me which millionaire you’ll invite,” Izzy pushed herself onto her hands and knees, putting her face next to Alec’s. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Alec. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Alec Alec Alec Alecー”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Izzy </span>
  <em>
    <span>no,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Alec attempted to push her face out of the way.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Isabelle ducked swiftly and kept up her assault. “Tell me!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Who would he pick? He sifted through all the famous female millionaires he knew. Or he could just say Maia Roberts, like Izzy. She was beautiful. It would be fine. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Aleccccc!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Or. Or he could tell the truth. Tell her that yeah, Rafael Santiago </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> hot. Or pick some other famous actor he’d looked at and appreciated for a quick second before shutting those thoughts away, as quick as a bear trap.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“ALEC!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay fine!” Alec burst out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at Izzy’s keen silver eyes. His fingers scraped his forearms lightly, out of Izzy’s sight. He could be as brave as her, right? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Magnus Bane.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izzy paused for a second, eyes flaring in surprise. “Oooh,” She sat back on her haunches. “That’s a good one. He’s also super hot.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, he's a genius,” Alec shrugged.  “He built up ShadowTech from nothing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhmm. He should model.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you miss the part about him being a literal genius and one of the most successful businessmen of all time.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izzy raised an eyebrow. “Someone’s got a crush.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Panic flared through Alec, white-hot and loud. “I, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I just think he’s, you know, pretty cool.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Literal genius!” Izzy mimed. “Super rich! Definitely daddy material!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Izzy!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knew, of course she knew. And she must have seen the terror written plain across his face because she quieted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, alright.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izzy laid a comforting hand on his knee, light but solid, grounding. He focused on it, feeling the panic ebbing away slowly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We should send them invites,” Izzy said, still lying on the ground. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know. Invite them to the wedding.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec stared at her, uncomprehendingly. “Izzy, you do realize we were </span>
  <em>
    <span>joking.</span>
  </em>
  <span> You know what a joke is, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izzy just shrugged. “Why not? What’s the harm? It’s not like they’re actually going to show.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I, what-</span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Alec spluttered. “We are not seriously inviting these random people to the wedding!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re not random!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izzy stole Alec’s laptop, holding it out of reach. She leapt up on the bed and started poking around.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You won’t be able to get the invitation to them anyway. It’s not like they have their email just around for anyoneー”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Found their emails!” Izzy exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seriously?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well. I found Magnus and Maia’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>agents’</span>
  </em>
  <span> email. But that’s good enough.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not actually going to go through with this, right?” Alec asked nervously.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In response, Izzy asked, “You have the invitations ready, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s open on another tab. But Izzy, you can’t justー”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Done!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec scrambled onto the bed and ripped the laptop from her hands. He stared down at the screen in horror, to the little bit of text that read </span>
  <em>
    <span>sent</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You,” Alec stuttered, “you actually did it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yup,” Izzy said, popping the ‘p.’</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Izzy!” Alec turned on his sister, fully prepared to tear her a new one.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Isabelle clamped her hand over Alec’s mouth before he could get any further. “Relax, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hermano</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It’s just a joke.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> isn’t. Talking about it? That’s a joke. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This?</span>
  </em>
  <span> This isn’t a joke.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s the chance that they’re going to see it anyway, huh? Less than five percent.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec bit his lips. There was no way to delete it, it had already been sent. He could feel the panic rising in the back of his mind, slowly, but building up. A tsunami of dread or fear. And unlike last time, Isabelle was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>helping. He didn’t want her here when it crashed over.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay fine, we sent it to them. Are you done? I have work to do.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His voice sounded calm, steady to his ears. He had no idea how.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What? Alecー”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I said I’m busy,” Alec snapped, staring at the ground. The hurt in her voice was enough, he didn’t need to see it in her face, too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alec, I’m sorry, I didn’t know this was such a big deal.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Isabelle</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wanted her to leave. He wanted her to stay. He wanted to take all that quicksilver courage from her eyes and use it up until it was all gone, until it was inside him because he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>selfish</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Quietly, Izzy stood and left the room. He heard her pause for a second before shutting the door behind her, softly. He had yelled at her and she was still acting gentle, kind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>God, he was awful.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But he didn’t have it in him. He didn’t have Jace’s gold heart or Clary’s copper-bright smile or Izzy’s quicksilver steel.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Although. He could pretend, couldn’t he? Jace had asked him to be his  best man. Alec had said yes. Jace had asked him to help plan. Alec had said yes. Jace asked and asked and Alec gave him everything he had. This was just another thing Jace would ask. For Alec to hold it together, get a grip, be </span>
  <em>
    <span>brave</span>
  </em>
  <span> for once in his goddamn life.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He recognized that using Jace wasn’t exactly the healthiest way to deal with the panic. It didn’t matter, the tsunami was receding. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It doesn’t ‘recede’,</span>
  </em>
  <span> a book he read had said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It just gets pushed down and down and down, a pressure filled bottle, until one day, you burst</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Well. He hadn’t burst so far. And he could hold it together for Jace and Clary’s wedding. He could be brave.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He sat on the ground and sent out the invitations to everyone on the guest list. He resolutely ignored the email to Magnus Bane. He finished the last invitation and didn’t think about it. He stretched, feeling the ache in his back, and didn’t think about it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He decided to skip dinner and headed towards the bathroom, getting ready for bed, and he didn’t think about it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The rug had left scrapes up and down his legs. He didn’t think about it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He continued not to think about it, all the way up until two days before the wedding.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At this point, Izzy had delved into full control-freak mode, as harsh as the wind and as unforgiving as the water. She barked out orders into the stale air of the venue, watching as people scurried out, trying to follow all her directions at once.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec nodded to himself, ensuring everything was running smoothly (or as smoothly as it could go, anyway) and headed outside. There, he leaned against the side of the wall and took a deep breath in, refusing to release it. Most of his work was done and whatever small jobs he had left, like confirming the food order with the caterer and such, had been snatched up by Izzy. Last minute errands the day-of had been claimed by Simon. Apparently, Alec’s only job was to make sure Jace and Clary were doing okay. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(For Jace, he understood. But Clary? Apparently she found his presence grounding? He had no idea how she couldn’t see that he was balancing on clouds, about to fall through the sky at any given moment.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Just when his lungs started to burn, he let the breath go. He wasn’t too much of a smoker, terrified of what he was taught when he was a kid. Then terrified of how much he liked the floaty weightlessness when he was in college. Then terrified of the pure fear and anger on Izzy’s face when she caught him with one and stomped it to shreds under her heel. But now, he wanted a stick more than anything. He wanted to get away from his swirling hurricane of a brain and get lost in the blank, empty parts of his mind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jace and Clary were getting married in two days. His main job was “moral support.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wondered if he could hide a pack of cigarettes from Izzy. He wondered and wondered, letting the commotion inside the venue overtake the combustion of his thoughts as his fingers played with the edges of his jacket. He wondered and wondered and almost didn’t notice the footsteps coming towards him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He blinked, letting his vision flood back, before focusing on who was approaching him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And promptly dropped his jaw open.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Because Magnus Bane was walking towards him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello,” The Magnus Bane called out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Was The Magnus Bane real? Had he accidentally gotten high without noticing? Was that a thing he could do? Was this a very </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> devoted cosplayer?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m looking for Alexander Lightwood.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Magnus Bane was looking for him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus Bane came to a stop in front of him. Alec realized that human interaction, though not something he often enjoyed, was a courtesy he had to ascribe to.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m, um, I’m Alexander Lightwood,” he stuttered. “You can call me Alec.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh!” Magnus Bane looked pleasantly surprised. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His face was open, bright. Alec’s mind flitted back to Clary’s copper-bright smile. No, this wasn’t that. This was different. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Absolutely wonderful to meet you. My name’s Magnus.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He held out his hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec glanced at it for a second before kick starting his hand into action, his fingers fidgeting and weak when he grabbed Magnus Bane’s strong solid hand. The warmth flowed over him like molten metal, and, amazingly, his fingers stilled. Magnus Bane seemed to recognise that; his grip tightened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What-, uh, why are you here?” Alec asked after he let go. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>A bit too late</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his brain reminded him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus Bane stepped towards him, closer, before spinning his body around to Alec’s other side, as graceful and easy as breathing. “Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Alexander</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” his voice caught on the ‘x,’ the flick of his tongue enthralling even though Alec couldn’t see it, before rushing over the rest of his name like water tumbling over the cliff of a waterfall. “I’m not sure if you know this, but I recently received an invite to a wedding. Now, neither me nor my agent recognized the sender, or the names on the invite, but it was made out to me </span>
  <em>
    <span>specifically</span>
  </em>
  <span>. So, I thought I’d come visit, see what exactly the situation was.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec was silent for a moment, the small part of his brain that wasn’t trying to process the fact that Magnus Bane was standing next to him cycling through the spoken words. Then, when he realized what exactly had happened, he flushed bright red. “Oh god. The invitation.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus quirked an eyebrow. “So you didn’t mean to invite me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No! No, I mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but it’s not that we didn’t invite you, we just-” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, Magnus cut off his rambling with a laugh like liquid honey. “You can relax, Alexander. I was just curious. I don’t often receive wedding invitations.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec took in a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. His fingers had started up the fidgeting again. “My sister and I sent you a wedding invitation. Kind of as a joke, really. We didn’t, uh, expect you to actually, you know.” He ended the sentence with a weak wave of his hands, willing his pathetic little gesture to convey his thoughts to Magnus.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Miraculously, he seemed to understand. “You thought I wouldn’t show up to some random couple’s wedding?” At Alec’s grateful nod, Magnus pulled a mock offended expression. “Alexander! Of course I would show up to a wedding I was invited to! Who do you take me for?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The only thing Alec could think to say was, “You didn’t RSVP.” He regretted the words the minute they left his mouth, and dug his fingernails into his hand in punishment. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Sorry</span>
  </em>
  <span>, sorry, I didn’t mean to be so rude.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus didn't seem to notice his inner turmoil and instead waved his hand. “Don’t be sorry. If anything, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> should be apologizing. I didn’t respond because I wasn’t sure if I was actually invited.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Well, you don’t have to worry about that. You’re, um, you’re definitely invited.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah,” Magnus laughed. “That’s good to know.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Quiet fell between them, awkward, but less so than Alec expected. Magnus moved to lean against the wall, his body a curved, lean line against the brick. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, as if taking in the sun. Alec glanced upward. Clouds blanketed the sky.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus opened his eyes and turned his head, facing Alec. “So. Would you like to tell me a little bit about this wedding I’m attending? Because at this point, all I know is the bride and groom’s names, and one of the lovely people in charge of it.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec kept trying to place his accent. The lilt in ‘lovely’ was unlike anything Alec had heard before. It was probably just unique to Magnus.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, there’s Jace. He’s my brotherーadopted. He met Clary two years ago and they’ve been crazy in love ever since. We all saw this coming a mile away.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Gotcha,” Magnus sounded amused. “Congratulate the happy couple and be sincere about it. Anything else?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My sister, Izzy, is in charge of preparations. She’s in there right now,” Alec jerked his head towards the building behind him. “She’s normally pretty easy going but she’s in control-freak mode right now and I’m not sure how she’ll take you being here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me guess. Izzy didn’t expect me to show up either.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec shrugged, head turtling underneath his shoulders and partially into his jacket. It was less of a chore to raise his head again than normal. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a bit unexpected, if you think about it,” he said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus laughed again, the crows feet at his eyes crinkling. Alec tried to place the laugh. It had none of Clary’s copper brightness, none of Jace’s golden warmth, none of Izzy’s silver love. It was different.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe a little bit. It must be busy in there. Why are you out here?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec’s fingers had momentarily paused their tapping but at that statement, they started their single-minded drumming again. Alec hoped Magnus didn’t notice. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My, uh, main jobs are out of the way. These next two days, I’m just playing moral support for Jace and Clary.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus’s eyes caught on his fingers and frowned. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Alec thought, and tried to force them to be still. However, instead of glancing at Alec quizzically or asking what was wrong, Magnus just reached out and grabbed Alec’s hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec’s fingers fell still out of pure shock. Magnus Bane was holding his hand. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Alec swallowed, staring at Magnus’s jeweled fingers playing with his own, like a fish swimming through a coral reef, elegant and graceful. They were warm, and Alec didn’t realize how cold his hand had become until he felt Magnus’ heat seeping in. Magnus tugged his fingers up and Alec followed the gesture up to the other man’s face, relaxed and smiling.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it seems you currently have no prior obligations, is that right?” Magnus was looking up at him, mischievous yet kind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No. I’m, uh, free for a while.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wonderful. Would you like to grab lunch with me? You can show me around town and tell me more about this wedding I’m attending.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus’ face was so eager, so strange but familiar, and his liquid honey voice had solidified into something light and happy, lodging somewhere inside Alec’s chest. He found it impossible to say no. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me just text Izzy when we get there,” he found himself saying, “but sure. Yeah, I’d love to grab lunch with you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bright eyes somehow grew deeper and as Magnus tugged him towards his sleek, obviously high-class car, he never untangled their fingers.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where did you go yesterday?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Alec looked up from Clary’s nails, nail polish brush in hand, at Izzy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His sister’s delicate fingers were threading through Clary’s hair, smooth and practiced. The copper and silver were mixing and swirling and blending together as Izzy transformed the already beautiful strands into something exquisite. Izzy had been trying out hairstyles for the past week, and once she'd finally found a half up-do that Clary liked, she’d been practicing constantly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alec went somewhere?” Jace piped up from his place on Izzy’s bed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The four of them were in Izzy’s apartment—though honestly, the place was so small that the entire apartment was practically one room. Alec was brushing paint on Clary’s nails, the gold polish reminiscent of Jace’s smile. His fingers had twitched and shuddered all through the morning, but they were rock steady when focusing on Clary’s hand. He couldn’t mess this up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He let the conversation, despite concerning him, fold into the background, picking up the brush again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. He told me he was going out for lunch and he’d be back in a couple hours. I didn’t need him right at that moment, so I said sure.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Clary’s fingers were calm, still, resting comfortably on Alec’s crossed legs as she tuned in to the exchange around her. Alec envied her. “Alec, you never go anywhere.” Even when speaking, her fingers were at rest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, </span>
  <em>
    <span>chiquita</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That’s why I was confused.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izzy’s rug was soft. Pink and fluffy, it covered a good portion of the floor. Both Alec and Clary were sitting on it and Izzy was kneeling on it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hold on. Alec. Did you go get lunch </span>
  <em>
    <span>with</span>
  </em>
  <span> someone?” Jace let out a mock gasp from the bed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The rug was soft on his knees. Soft and comfortable, like sinking into one of Izzy’s hugs. Like lying on a marshmallow. He felt like it was going to swallow him whole.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No way!” Izzy was already half-finished with the hairstyle. “There is no way he went to lunch </span>
  <em>
    <span>with </span>
  </em>
  <span>someone. Right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Funnily enough, he missed his rug. It was rough and scratchy and left his legs scraped to hell, but it kept him grounded. Secure. Izzy’s rug made him float away, a wisp of smoke drifting lazily upwards before dissolving completely.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alec.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But no. He didn’t float away. Clary pressed a gentle but firm touch to his hand and snapped his attention back to the conversation. The copper of her hair solidified and he blinked away the last of the haziness.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why did you go out for lunch today?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Uh, Izzy?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes?” Izzy replied through a mouthful of bobby pins.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know how you invited Magnus Bane to the wedding?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silence. It was silent. The kind that Alec craved and usually could never find and wow, he should drop bombs like this more often because he really liked it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then Jace ruined it by nearly screaming, “What the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec shrugged. “Izzy invited Magnus Bane and another celebrity to the wedding. Magnus actually showed up. I went with him for lunch to explain the whole situation.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, you’re serious,” Clary stared up at him with wide eyes. “Magnus Bane is actually here. He’s coming to our wedding.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you want to blame someone, blame Izzy. She’s the one who sent the invitation.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Three pairs of eyes swiveled around to face her. Izzy’s hands were frozen on Clary’s hair, bobby pins keeping the hairdo in place. “I’m sorry!” she blurted out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec felt his eyebrows furrow. “What? Why are you sorry?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m the one who sent the invitation, even though you told me not to. And now we have to deal with having </span>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus Bane</span>
  </em>
  <span> here, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh my godー</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, no no. Nothing’s your fault, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Alec was quick to reassure her. “He’s a guest we invited to the wedding, so let’s treat him like one. He was pretty calm about the whole situation when I explained it to him. Don’t worry about it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Izzy kept flushing, Jace got up and slung an arm around her shoulders. “Relax, Iz. Alec said the guy was chill. And now you get to meet one of your favorite idols.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Coming down from her fluster, Izzy nodded. “Thanks Jace.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, Alec felt Clary withdraw her hands from his grip and cover her face. “Magnus Bane is coming to my wedding.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Clary! It’s not dry yet,” Alec frowned and tried to tug her hands away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Magnus Bane</span>
  </em>
  <span> is coming to my wedding.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Clary, babe,” Jace knelt down next to her, running his hands over her arms soothingly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am going to get married with Magnus Bane sitting right there.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Clary, Clary!” Izzy suddenly burst out. “We’re going to meet Magnus Bane. Not, like, randomly saying hi or something, we’re going to actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>meet him!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my godー</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec let their giggles fade into the background again, shaking his head fondly when he heard Jace joining in on their enthusiasm. He held the nail polish brush, twirling it idly between his fingers, fidgeting and fluttery, knowing he’d have to redo Clary’s nails after their impromptu freak-out session.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His family’s constant repetition of Magnus’ name had lodged into his subconscious, and he found himself thinking about lunch with him, about how Alec had smiled more in those couple of hours than in the last month. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And about that. When had he become “Magnus?” When had he stopped becoming Magnus-Bane-The-Celebrity and instead become Alec’s-Magnus-Bane?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Something about Magnus made him feel light. Not hazy and smoky, but something almost pure, unfiltered. He had managed to stick to Alec, different from Jace’s warm gold, Clary’s brave copper, Izzy’s clever silver. And Alec couldn’t quite put his finger on how.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They were out to lunch again, a different diner this time. A favorite of Jace’s, actually. Alec was going to head over to Jace’s and spend the night later this evening, but for now, he found himself in a booth across from Magnus. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man was magnetic, pulling Alec towards him with a smile and few gently placed touches. For the first time in a while, Alec found himself focused on the conversation, almost completely. He wasn’t thinking about the wedding. He wasn’t thinking about floating. He wasn’t thinking about his fingers, which hadn’t seemed to stop moving, but Magnus didn’t seem to mind. He just lost himself in Magnus’ voice, flowing over him in a gentle wave. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus seemed to always know what to do with his fingers. They were always in motion, always in action, but different from Alec. Every move the other man made was purposeful. His hands were an extension of his mind, graceful and expressive and beautiful. He had no problem controlling them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec found it hard to be jealous, however, when Magnus wrapped those fingers around his own.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus was in the middle of another story of his. More of a rant than a story, actually, but Alec found himself entranced regardless. Suddenly, he looked at the man a little closer and caught sight of a sparkle on his cheekbone. Then another. Then another.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alexander? Is something wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you wearing glitter?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Immediately after he said that, Alec’s face flooded with heat. God, </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> was he incapable of controlling his mouth around this man?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! Yes, yes I am.” Luckily, Magnus didn’t sound too offended. “Do you like it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And that. That was the last straw. Because Alec may be generally unaware of the world around him, usually lost in his own head, but Magnus had taken him out to lunch. He laughed and joked at Alec’s pathetic attempt at humor and conversation that Alec knew for a fact </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t entertaining at all</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and kept tangling his fingers with Alec’s. To top it all off, he was looking at Alec like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>, from underneath his eyelashes, gaze coy, yet earnest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Besides, Alec wasn’t the most eloquent person anyways. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you flirting with me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus stared at him open-mouthed before bursting into a peal of laughter. It was as honey-rich as his other laughs, but Alec still felt embarrassed, cursing his own stupidity, and made to stammer out apologies when Magnus caught his breath.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You haven’t noticed?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I</span>
  <em>
    <span>ー </span>
  </em>
  <span>what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alexander. I am most definitely interested in you. And honestly? Kicking myself for being too subtle.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You were being subtle?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus sent him an odd look. “Of course I was being subtle. You didn’t even notice!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I did,” Alec defended. “I just, you know,” Alec trailed off lamely, hoping that Magnus would show a bit of his wonderful, recently acquired talent of understanding Alec’s incomprehensible noises. Unfortunately, in this case, he just raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t think you’d actually be interested in me,” Alec said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Interested in you?” Magus looked confused. “Of course I would be interested in you, Alexander.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?” Alec asked, genuinely bewildered. He was lost in thought at best, rude and standoffish at worst. Compared to the gold, copper, and silver that was his family, Alec’s hazy smoke of a soul barely registered on people’s radar. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Because you are an interesting person, Alexander.” Magnus stated this as if it were obvious. “I’ve only known you for a day and I can already see the love and passion you put into this wedding for your brother. You’ve let me talk your ear off these past meetings and seemed interested and engaged in my conversation. Do you know how rare that is?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Believe me</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Alec thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I know how rare that is</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aside from that, you’re just a genuinely kind person, Alexander. I would like to get to know you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But, you, you’re</span>
  <em>
    <span>ー</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>Magnus Bane</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You probably meet people more interesting than me every day.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well first of all,” Magnus started with a dry look. “It’s not like I’m a world renowned actor or anything. I invent things. And occasionally model. I’m not impossibly famous.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay I know, but. . .”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And second,” Magnus continued, taking Alec’s hands. “I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>human</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Alexander. I’m just like you, just like anybody. Well,” he added, smirking. “Probably with a little more </span>
  <em>
    <span>pizzazz</span>
  </em>
  <span> than anybody else. But regardless, I came to a random person’s wedding because I was curious and wanted to be kind. And then I met you and you caught my interest immediately. Declaring my love sounds a bit like overkill but suffice to say, I do enjoy your company and I would like to see you more often. Is that okay with you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec focused on Magnus’ fingers, his warm hands clasped in Alec’s ice cubes. The touch was grounding and as Alec held on, he felt some of the haze start to solidify. The edges of him, the wispiest smoke, started to come together. And Alec wanted to know what it would feel like to have all of the smoke strengthen into a hand that wouldn’t flutter every two seconds, a hand that he could use to return Magnus’ touch. So he held on.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. That’s okay with me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The wedding was gold. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sun dawned golden upon Jace and Clary’s glowing faces.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The small venue had transformed into a golden cage, swathed in bursts of flowers and color and </span>
  <em>
    <span>life</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izzy was gilded in gold as she glided down the aisle, the silver of her eyes blending and twisting and turning until she was a masterpiece, taking her place at the side of the altar. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jace was the brightest thing in the room. The golden warmth that flowed from him was brighter than anything Alec had ever felt, infecting everything and everyone around him with a contagious happiness as strong as the metal itself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And Clary. Clary’s copper hair and copper smile and copper heart was the personification of love, a bright spot of orange amidst the golden hall. As she took her place at the front, facing Jace, Alec hoped the adoration in her eyes would never fade.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec watched, taking in the moment when Jace would give himself away forever. Signing his life to the one person who cared about him more than anything. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He watched as they wrapped their arms in ribbon, tying their fates together.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He watched as vows fell from their lips like jewels.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He watched as their lips met in a sunburst of sparks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He watched and watched and watched, and he forced himself not to float away, forced himself to dig his fingernails into the meat of his palm to ground himself in the scene, forced himself to </span>
  <em>
    <span>solidify</span>
  </em>
  <span> for once.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Because Jace and Clary had just gotten married.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At the reception, Jace and Clary were twirling the night away, lost in each other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Izzy had dragged Simon out on the dance floor, weaving in between the other guests as they laughed their way through song after song, champagne glass after champagne glass.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And Alec found himself by Magnus’ side, ignoring Izzy’s side glances and smirks, and lost himself in conversation again. He had never considered himself a talkative person but listening to Magnus and interjecting when he felt like it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Somehow, Magnus had crept his way inside of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was like the glitter brushed across his cheeks. Light and bright and airy, he had floated through the air and stuck to Alec’s skin and had refused to leave. Jace’s molten gold and Clary’s flowing copper and Izzy’s liquid quicksilver had cascaded over him, warming him to his core, before flowing away through his fingers. But Magnus? Magnus had coated his skin in sparkles and had formed a shield, a little bubble where it was just two of them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Right then, Magnus had laced his fingers through Alec’s like he often did, and Alec’s nervous twitches had calmed just a bit as he traced Magnus’ rings. No one looked as beautiful as the happy couple tonight, but draped in cloth, jewelry, and an air of confidence, Alec thought Magnus came close.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I was just thinking,” Magnus said, drawing Alec’s attention back. “ShadowTech has a branch here. I’ve been meaning to move my base of operations to a more recent and advanced branch anyway.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I bet the larger building and the economy in this city help.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus tilted his head. “And the company.” At Alec’s flush, he added, “If you’re amenable, of course.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I</span>
  <em>
    <span>ー</span>
  </em>
  <span> yeah. I’m, uh, amenable.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure your sister wouldn’t mind,” Magnus smirked. “Given her reaction upon meeting me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec winced, recalling Izzy’s shriek to break the heavens and subsequent flying hug, her vice-like grip enough to shatter steel. If that didn’t scare Magnus off, Alec wasn’t sure what would.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Besides yourself</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Alec thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Besides your floaty, hazy, self that Magnus won’t be able to stand</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But with a small shake of his head, Alec suppressed those thoughts, at least for now. They’d come back, of course, but somehow, Alec felt they would be a little easier to bear with Magnus’ fingers tangled in his.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then I hope you wouldn’t mind if I do this?” Magnus asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alec barely had time to question what Magnus was doing before the other man was moving closer, then pressing his lips against Alec’s, soft but sure.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The first thing Alec felt was </span>
  <em>
    <span>solid</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The haze and the smoke, it all blew away with a brush of Magnus’ lips, and Alec felt steady and </span>
  <em>
    <span>there</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It only lasted a moment and the wispiness came flooding back when Magnus moved away. But it'd been gone. If only for a moment, it'd been gone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t mind,” Alec managed after he regained control of his lips. “I definitely don’t mind if you do that again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Magnus’s laugh was glittery and light and it floated through the air to completely engulf Alec. Alec’s fingers drummed against the table, fidgeting and twitching and generally flurrying. And beside him, Magnus’ fingers tapped along with him, steady and sure.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Note to self</em>, Alec thought. <em>Buy a new rug.</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And that's a wrap!</p>
<p>Tell me what you think in the comments, and kudos are always appreciated!</p>
<p>Find me on tumblr at <a href="https://river-bottom-nightmare.tumblr.com/">river-bottom-nightmare</a> .</p>
<p>Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>